Man's Best Friend
by Punchbuggie
Summary: After escaping from Azkaban, Sirius stops at a Muggle subdivision, where he becomes Hermione's pet, and ends up at Hogwarts.Please review!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is not mine.**

There. It was as easy as a few steps of his worn, black paws against the cold floor, and Sirius was out of Azkaban. After all those years, he had escaped with his life, his soul, and his sanity.

_He's at Hogwarts..._

The thought that had driven him for years echoed in his mind. No matter what the danger of being caught, he would not let his godson think of him as a mass murderer.

What was the best way to enter the wizarding world? He was in danger, even in his animagus form. How many people would recognize it? Dumbledore. Remus. Maybe he could find Remus...What did he think of him? There was Peter, of course...and Severus.

Had he told anyone? Could he stop himself from telling, what with all the new security measures and requests—no, demands—for information that would soon take place at Hogwarts, if they hadn't already?

The first question was erased. Sirius had managed to get his hands on almost every edition of the Daily Prophet—it would have been all over the news. But...No. Why would Severus tell Harry anything?

Harry didn't have the slightest clue that he had a godfather. He was thirteen now, remembered Sirius. Just a couple of days ago. _I should have been there for him, all these years,_ he thought. But he had been pleased to note that most pictures of him in the Daily Prophet included Molly Weasley jumping in in the background.

As his thoughts circled back to the Daily Prophet, he thought about Muggle newspapers. Would his escape have reached them yet?

He saw one on a doorstep. The lights in the house were off. He advanced toward the newspaper. For Sirius, getting the paper had become beyond a habit. In Azkaban, it felt like his life depended on it...or, the better word might be his sanity. Hearing about Harry, pushing himself on—he had to get to Hogwarts. Although it was a Muggle newspaper, it carried the same type of feeling.

He took the newspaper in his mouth and continued down the road. He would stop to read it, but not now—after all, what would a Muggle think if they walked outside and saw a big, black dog reading a newspaper?

He would soon reach the end of the subdivision, and then he would be on the highway. As long as no one called Animal Control...the thought made him chuckle, but because he was a dog, he ended up sneezing instead. He continued down the road, but...

"Hi, puppy!"

A girl with a mass of brown hair was leaning over him. She gave him a pat on the head. It was amazing, thought Sirius, how used to that he was.

"You're all alone, aren't you? No tags, and you look like you've been sleeping in the mud for years."

_The girl's not far off, _thought Sirius.

"You must be _starving!_ Let me get you some food," she exclaimed. She turned around, walked around the corner of the house, then whistled for him. Sirius could only imagine what kind of awful food a Muggle girl would give a stray dog, but he _was_ starving, so he followed her.

"Good boy," she said, giving him another pat on the head. She reached into her pocket and started breaking something in half.

"We've got to be careful with these," she whispered to him. Sirius didn't know what that meant, but he ate what had been laid out in front of him.

It was the unmistakable taste of a Pumpkin Pasty.

She was a witch.

**AN: Okay, that beginning was pretty boring. It will get better! (I hope) Please review. I'll try to update soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own HP!**

"Hermione," someone called, "Dinner's ready!"

The girl looked at Sirius sympathetically, then said, "Goodbye! I hope you find something decent to eat!" And she disappeared around the corner. Sirius knew he couldn't let her get away, not if she knew something about Hogwarts, about Harry. He watched her go inside, then lay silently between the bushes. As he watched people walk by in the Muggle neighborhood, a young boy reached out to pet him.

"Don't do that," said his mother urgently, grabbing his hand. "I think it's rabid."

Sirius resisted the urge to jump out and lick her face. _Once a Marauder, always a Marauder. _He was many things, but not rabid.

One of these things was impatient. Less than five minutes later, he was on his feet—paws, that is—heading for a window to watch the Muggle—well, somewhat Muggle, as he had found out—family eat. Then he saw something overhead: it was an owl. His tail wagged with glee. He was right. The owl flew in through an open window and dropped the letter on the dinner table.

"I can't get used to that," the man at the table said. A Muggle.

"Sorry," said Hermione, picking up the letter. In the next room, she sat the letter on her desk beneath the window that the owl had come through. She returned to the table.

In an attempt to make conversation, her father said, "So, that was, ah..."

"Hedwig," replied Hermione. "Harry's owl."

Sirius pricked his ears. Could it be...?

"That's nice, dear. Well, anyway, today, your mum and I had this patient..."

Sirius trotted around the house to the window, which was still open. He put his front paws on the window sill, but his toenails started slipping against the smooth surface. He jumped up again, causing a loud crash. Even as a dog he was clumsy.

"What's that racket?" said Hermione's mother loudly.

"Maybe Hedwig's stuck inside," suggested Hermione, getting up from the table.

She found him half inside the window with his back legs hanging out. _Pathetic,_ thought Sirius. _Perfect. _

She crossed her arms. "Fine. Keep quiet." He was in. Hermione returned once again to the dinner table. _Amazing, _thought Sirius. _Easiest thing I've done in twelve years. _

He found what he was looking for. That letter.

_Hermione,_

_Thanks for the broomstick servicing kit you sent for my birthday. I also got a Pocket Sneakoscope from Ron and _The Monster Book of Monsters _from Hagrid. At such point that the book stops attacking me and allows me to open it, these will all be fantastic gifts. I hear Ron's been in Egypt—sounds brilliant! Knowing the Dursleys, of course, I can't say I'll see you soon, but if I'm lucky we'll meet up in Diagon Alley. I'll send a note with Hedwig if I get any details on when I'll be there—and if she hasn't gone on strike. She's not getting much to eat unless she hunts for herself. Thanks again for the present,_

_Harry_

_PS—Of course I've been doing my homework. Granted, I've been doing it by wand-light, when I get a chance to pick the lock on the cupboard and get my wand out, but I've got the feeling that Madame Pomfrey would be seeing a lot of me if I walked into Snape's class having not done my homework._

Sirius was satisfied. He knew something about his godson. He had two best friends, one of which Sirius was standing in the bedroom of.

Hermione walked into the room, finding him leaning over the letter. She gasped.

"You can't eat that! It's the only letter I've gotten from Harry all summer!"

She read the letter quickly, concentrating.

"Poor Harry."

Sirius gave a sympathetic whine.

"No kidding. They used to lock _him _ in that cupboard, you know," she said, pointing at the word, _cupboard. _

"Well, at least he's got the sense to do his homework, unlike _some _people." She rummaged in the desk and pulled out the Daily Prophet from several days ago, picturing the Weasleys in Egypt.

"It's not as if he can't pick up a quill and some parchment in Egypt."

"Hermione, who are you talking to?" said a voice loudly.

"No one!" she replied. She pushed Sirius under the desk, as well as the Daily Prophet, as if knowing that he would want to read it. Sirius looked closely at the picture, and saw something on the shoulder of a boy in the center of the picture, who he assumed must be Ron.

It was a rat with nine front toes.


End file.
